Page 9 of The Forbidden Secret

I glanced at Zeke, cringing as I vividly recalled the feeling of his hands on my waist.

“We need to give it more time to cool down,” Jaimie repeated. “Is there a reason that you’d rather risk your own safety than give it a few more days?”

Yes, my daughter needs me. I need to get her out of here before Zeke learns about her.

“I can’t stay in the same house as him.”

I knew I was being dramatic. I knew that in the scheme of things, spending a few days with an ex-lover should be the least of my concerns. But when he looked at me like that—with a smug sense of satisfaction and amusement—I couldn’t keep the feeling of lust from the pit of my stomach.

More than that, I couldn’t decide if I truly hated him the way I should have.

Jaimie met my eyes and raised her brows. “Is your life worth that decision?”

I hated that she was right.

Chapter Four

Zeke Coleman

I double-checked the corners of the safe house, ensuring everything we brought was packed into the two backpacks we were to carry. My belongings were secured inside the pack, knowing that we could have to leave at any sign of a threat. I had informed Evelina to do the same, but rather than listening, she had barricaded herself in the room for another two days.

“Time to go,” I said, rapping on her door.

I heard shuffling from behind the door before it peeled open a crack. “What do you mean? Is it finally safe for me to go?”

“Not even close,” I replied. “Five days is the max for a safe house—less if we’re out and moving about the city.”

“What do youmeanthe max?”

I ground my teeth. “Does everything have to be a fight with you?”

“Am I not allowed to ask questions?” she asked innocently.

As I looked at her still-damp hair from the shower she had taken an hour ago, I couldn’t help but reminisce on the moment she had walked out of the bathroom and barreled intome. The softness of her skin. The gentle curves that she did an immaculate job of hiding beneath bulky clothing.

I licked my bottom lip, tugging the metal hoop between my teeth.

She huffed an exhale and slammed the door in my face. I hardly noticed as my memory ran wild with thoughts of that hot body. A year should have been enough time to get over her, butfuck.Seeing her naked brought my lust to life. I couldn’tdocommitment. Not even with her.Especiallynot with her.

I wouldn’t let my life and sins break a gentle artist’s heart more than I already have.

Evelina opened the door a moment later, her pack on her back. “Ready.”

It broke me from my thoughts as she approached the door. “Not that way.”

She paused. “There’s only one door.”

My head shook on its own accord as I approached the utility room and pointed at the small opening beside the laundry machine.

“A laundry chute?” she asked skeptically. “I’m not going down there when there’s a door.”

“It’s a small laundry lift. It’s like a small elevator. It’s why we chose this place as a safe house. We can only choose locations with a discrete exit strategy.”

“Nobody knows where we are,” she countered.

“And how do you know that?” I pushed. “Did you spend a lot of time outside surveying the area for threats? Did you check all the buildings surrounding us for snipers? We don’t have enoughmanpower to check every possible threat, so you need to follow my orders and do so quickly. My only goal here is to keep you safe. It’s what I’m contracted to do, and I don’t fail my jobs.”

That was a lie. I had failed one job, and it was the only other job that involved her. Though it wasn’t from a lack of skill or ability.

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